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Transparent Conductive Coating Comparison Chart
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Comparison with other conductive materials
Transparent touchscreens, which are used in devices such as smartphones and tablets, have become familiar and common. Devices “that you just touch to control” are continuously spreading; for example, sophisticated flat touch switches have been adopted for the operation of automobile audio equipment recently.
Sensor electrodes are distributed across and laid on touch panels and touch switches (patterning) so that these devices can sense when a human finger touches them.
Sensor electrodes need to be made of conductive material whose transparency is high enough for invisibility. We’ll summarize typical materials used for such applications.
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| PEDOT:PSS | ITO(Indium tin oxide) | Silver nanowire | Silver mesh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conductivity | Good | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Transparency | Acceptable - Good(Blue) | Good (Yellow) | Acceptable - Good(Silver) | Good |
| Haze | Good | Good | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Durability | Acceptable → Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Flexibility | Good | Poor | Good | Good |
| Flatness | Good → Excellent | Acceptable | Acceptable | Poor |
| Processing | Coating or Printing | Sputtering | Coating or Printing | Sputtering or Printing |
| Firing temperature | Low temperature (drying/curing) | High temperature (firing) | High temperature or application of pressure | High temperature |
| Patterning | Printing or Photolithography | Photolithography | Printing or Photolithography | Photolithography |
| Productivity | Excellent | Acceptable | Excellent | Acceptable |
| Ability to be used on larger areas and various shapes | Good → Excellent | Acceptable | Good | Excellent |
| Stable supply of raw materials | Excellent | Acceptable | Excellent | Excellent |
| Usability with different substrates | Acceptable → Good | Acceptable | Good | Good |
| PEDOT:PSS | ITO(Indium tin oxide) | Silver nanowire | Silver mesh |
“→” means that it can be improved with our formulation techniques.
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PEDOT:PSS
PEDOT:PSS is superior in flatness and haze, flexible, and easy to make into a conductive film with wet process.
The desired conductivity can be achieved just by vaporizing the solvent. Therefore, PEDOT:PSS can also be applied to films that can withstand temperatures of only 70°C or so. It is eco/human-friendly as it is a water-based material and is biocompatible. -
ITO(Indium tin oxide)
ITO(Indium tin oxide) is widely used in touchscreens on smartphones because of its high transparency and superior durability. Specialized sputtering equipment is required to form conductive film, which increases manufacturing costs. In addition, ITO(Indium tin oxide) is not suitable for curved surfaces as it cracks if bent.
There is a concern about future sup -
Silver nanowire
Applications for silver nanowire are expanding because of its Good conductivity and flexibility, which allows the material to be used for more applications besides flat surfaces.
High-temperature processing and the application of pressure are required to make dispersed wires stick together.
The wire tips are sharp, which may damage films if the overlaid film is thin. -
Silver mesh
Sliver mesh is an extremely conductive and highly durable material.
But, the thickness of the mesh can be visible on the surface, which makes silver mesh inferior in flatness to other materials.